Turkish government angered by ITV orphanage report

ITV1 current affairs show Tonight's undercover footage of state orphanages in Turkey could be raised in discussions between the British and Turkish foreign ministers this week.

According reports in the Turkish media, the issue will be raised by the Turkish foreign minister Ali Babacan, who is visiting British home secretary David Miliband in London on Friday.

In the programme, to be aired on ITV1 on Thursday November 6, the Duchess of York is shown visiting homes in the Turkish cities of Ankara and Istanbul accompanied by her daughter Eugenie.

The edition of Tonight features footage - filmed by investigators accompanying the Duchess - of children dressed in bedclothes and rags, some with shaven heads. The film also sees the Duchess visiting homes in Romania accompanied by her other daughter Beatrice.

Ferguson did not declare her royal status in the visits and was known only by her first name Sarah, according to a senior ITV source involved in the programme who added: "We are quite grateful that the people she visits are not regular readers of Hello! or OK! and didn't recognise her."

In one visit to the Saray institution near the Turkish city of Ankara, the Duchess disguises herself with a black wig and headscarf in order not to be recognised.

Inside the home, the reporting team found children tied to their beds or left in cots all day - not even being taken out to be fed. One child, who was not allowed outside, was discovered crawling along the corridor to feel the sun on his face.

The footage was filmed by members of Ferguson's entourage posing as potential wealthy donors.

The Turkish government has already responded angrily to the programme with a number of Turkish politicians accusing the programme makers of seeking to jeopardise the country's chances of joining the European Union. Turkey began membership negotiations in October 2005.

Nimet Cubukcu, a minister in charge of women and family affairs, told Turkey's Anatolian news agency: "It is obvious that Sarah Ferguson is ill-intentioned and is trying to launch a smearing campaign against Turkey by opposing Turkey's EU membership."

However, ITV hit back at the claims, with a spokeswoman insisting: "This is a valid area of public interest at a time when the UK government is endorsing the accession of Turkey into the EU, a process which is conditional in part on Turkey improving its human rights record with children."

A spokesman for the Turkish embassy in London said it was "not yet known at this stage" if Babacan was due to raise the Tonight programme with Miliband. "We are very disturbed about this programme," he added.

Clips from the programme have already been leaked onto Tukey's Channel D on Monday night and the story has been widely covered in the Turkish press.

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